If the New England Patriots are satisfied with their fifth title, they sure aren’t showing it.
On Feb. 7, just two days after they won Super Bowl LI for their fifth title, the team filed to trademark the phrase “Blitz for Six,” hoping to use it on clothing, included hooded T-shirts, of course. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for wearing Patriots hoodies.
And last Tuesday, the same day that Belichick chanted “No Days Off” to the crowd at the team’s victory parade, the Patriots also filed to trademark that phrase.
The Patriots have been among the more aggressive organizations in terms of filing to protect phrases they endeavor to bring to market. The week before the Super Bowl, the team filed to trademark “Ignore The Noise.” In recent years, they received trademarks to “Do Your Job” and “We are all Patriots.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he hasn’t considered the possibility of Tony Romo playing for another NFC team because he doesn’t want to think about it.
“That bothers the heck out of me because I know wherever he goes, he’ll start. I know wherever he goes, he’ll compete, absent injury,” Jones said Friday on J Dub City on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.
“We saw a guy [Tom Brady] several years older than him win a Super Bowl. I think he’s that kind of player, so you’ve dealt in your own conference, somebody that has the possibility to come back and beat us.”
Dak Prescott passed for more than 3,600 yards with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions this past season. He’s the starter, and it’s unlikely Romo wants to remain on the roster as a backup.
Romo probably will be released or traded during the offseason. It’ll probably happen sooner rather than later because Romo’s new team will want the 36-year-old in his new city as soon as possible to learn the offense and develop a rapport with his teammates.
The trick for Jones is doing what’s right for Romo and the franchise.
“We’ve got a lot to do. We’ll get it sorted out. That’s what it’s all about,” Jones said. “Relationships come into play here.
“When you’ve got the kind of relationship I’ve got with him, and the type of person that Tony Romo is, we’ll get this worked out.”
Jones knows the odds are against it, but he still hopes he can persuade Romo to back up Prescott.
So what’s the sales pitch?
“It has to do with what his options are,” Jones said. “If he went to another team, it has to do with what his ability is to compete here.
“All of these things I don’t have an answer to — we just have to work through it.”
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There still is much to digest from the New England Patriots’ 34-28 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, and podcasts/interviews featuring offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (The MMQB.com), defensive end Chris Long (ESPN Radio), defensive tackle Alan Branch (Sirius XM NFL Radio) and running back LeGarrette Blount (Rich Eisen Show) in recent days provide another layer of analysis.
Some pieces picked up from those:
1. McDaniels told Peter King that the Falcons played more man coverage than they had in the past, which was something the Patriots had to adjust to.
“They were trying to take away the easy completions, and in large part, they did a little bit of that in the first half,” McDaniels said. “Then we worked through some different things and tried a few different concepts, and our guys got open and caught the ball better.”
McDaniels also touched on how the Patriots had talked about how the Falcons’ defense had been on the field so much.
“We had played 20 minutes in the first half on offense. We were in the 40s on the play count. We knew there was a chance, in a Super Bowl, that one team can get gassed and maybe lose a little steam as the game goes on if they’re out there long enough,” he said.
Then, “once it got to 28-12, even though we had to settle for a field goal on that drive, we said, ‘Look, we’ve got to put together two championship drives.’”
And when it was pointed out that Brady is 39 years old, McDaniels laughed.
“It doesn’t look like we’re going to slow down,” he said.
2. Long described the pendulum of emotions for him.
“It went from the worst nightmare in the world to the best dream all within an hour. You go from the lowest point of your career to the highest point of your career, just like that. It was the most insane thing I’ve ever been a part of,” he said on the Russillo and Kanell program.
Long added that one “could make the claim this is the toughest team in Super Bowl history. It’s unprecedented, that type of comeback.”
He noted that when the Patriots won the overtime coin toss and took the ball, some defensive players looked at each other on the sideline and said, “We’re not going back out there.”
Long, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, plans to keep playing in 2017.
“I’m excited for the next step,” he said. “I didn’t know coming into this year that I could still play football at a high level. I feel like I can play just as well as I did before I started getting hurt [in 2014-2015]. I’m happy to be back.”
3. On linebacker Dont’a Hightower’s strip-sack in the fourth quarter that turned out to be a game-turning play, Branch recovered the ball with an assist from defensive end Rob Ninkovich.
“Honestly, I didn’t even see the sack happen,” Branch relayed on Sirius XM NFL radio. “I was getting double-teamed, and I saw a hand hit the ball out, and I saw the ball kind of floating in the air. My first initial reaction was to try to catch it. So I reached out, that wasn’t happening, and I didn’t know if it was an incomplete pass or a fumble. With the Patriots’ defense, they tell you it doesn’t matter and ‘fall on the ball and let the refs sort it out.’
“I just jumped on the ball, and when I jumped on the ball, it was kind of on my side where I couldn’t get my hand around it. So I was just kind of laying on it, trying to scoop it out, but I couldn’t move my arm. Rob Ninkovich had a smart play where he just started punching the ball to where it was inside my breadbasket. He punched it just enough where it was in my belly, and I was able to cover it up.”
Branch thought he might have recovered the fumble regardless — he was throwing some elbows — but felt Ninkovich’s assist made it a lot easier.
4. While the Patriots came out throwing early, Blount said that wasn’t the way the offense planned to attack throughout. “We didn’t go into the game thinking we’d have to throw 60 passes,” he said on the Rich Eisen Show.
Asked about his future with the Patriots, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent, Blount said, “I don’t know what the future holds. That’s something for them and my agent to discuss. I love being here, and they know I love being here. … I feel great. I’m 30 years old, not a lot of wear and tear on my body. I feel like I’ll be able to play for as long as I want.”
The New York Jets question of the week involves what figures to be a hot storyline this offseason.
@RichCimini Unsure re trading #91, but how’s this:SRich, 2nd(#38)&5thRders FORmid1st(12-25),3rd&5th? Many teams betw#12-25 need DL #jetsmail
— Dino Cortina (@Saybrook858) February 10, 2017
@RichCimini: I think the Jets would love to trade defensive end Sheldon Richardson for a return package that includes a first-round pick, even if it means surrendering their second-rounder, but they’d be hard-pressed to find a taker.
I can tell you put some thought into this proposal, Dino, but it’s a little too Jets-friendly, using the points system from the trusty trade value chart — yes, even for the 25th pick. Richardson’s value isn’t what it once was.
But let’s use your trade proposal to tackle broader questions: Should the Jets trade Richardson and, if so, at what price?
I think some people in the organization might be second-guessing the decision not to trade him to the Cowboys in October before the deadline. The Jets reportedly demanded a first-round pick. I can’t swear to this, but I bet the deal would have been completed if the Jets had been willing to accept a second-rounder. Now I’d be surprised if they get that much.
Richardson finished with only 1.5 sacks and did nothing to bury his reputation as an immature player with an oversized opinion of himself. He plays hard, I’ll give him that, but he doesn’t handle adversity well. He’s high-maintenance. He also has off-field issues — two league suspensions, including one for substance abuse. Oh, yes, he’s got a large salary, too — $8.1 million, the amount of his fifth-year option. By the way, it becomes fully guaranteed in early March.
Yes, I expect the Jets to shop him again. They have a surplus of defensive lineman and could do without his antics, especially with coach Todd Bowles trying to rebuild the locker room chemistry.
Here’s where it gets tricky: If someone offers them a third-rounder for Richardson, do they make the deal? You argue that, for that price, they’d be better off keeping him for the final year of his contract. If they lose him as a free agent in 2018, they’d probably receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2019. That’s a long ways off.
Me? I’d trade him. The Jets need draft picks right now, not to mention the $8.1 million in cap room. It’s too bad Rex Ryan isn’t around anymore; he’d take him.